1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage and display devices for weather resistant display of a building permit and storage of other documents at a construction site.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many cities require building permits to be displayed and accessible to inspectors at construction sites. In addition to providing information concerning the basis for the permit, the document may have checkoff spaces for completion by various inspectors during the construction process. The permits thus need to be prominently displayed and made accessible to the proper officials while also being protected from the elements. The permits also need to be protected from theft or tampering by unauthorized persons.
A wide range of display systems have been developed to permit the weather resistant display of building permits on a construction site while permitting access by inspectors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,373 discloses a combination building permit display device and rolled blueprint holder. The device includes a flat panel base member with a pocket formed from transparent plastic sheet material for receiving and displaying a building permit while protecting it from the elements. Rolled documents are stored in a cylindrical tube with a closed end and an open end.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,851 also provides a weather resistant display case for displaying construction permits and for storing documents. The display case includes hingedly connected front and rear halves. A tack board is provided inside the rear half for receiving a permit. The front half includes a window through which the permit can be viewed. Rolled documents may be fitted into mating semi-cylindrical recesses in the front and rear halves.
A problem encountered with existing plan and permit boxes is where to mount the boxes. Existing boxes, including those discussed above, are generally adapted to be either nailed to a wall of the building under construction or nailed to a wooden stake to be driven into the ground. The ability to mount the box to a stake generally addresses the situation where the walls of the building have not yet been erected and there is no structure available yet to nail the box to. Wooden stakes however are not particularly convenient to use. Typically the installer has to bring a sledge hammer or the like to the site to drive the stake into the ground far enough so that it does not work its way out of the ground and fall over. The stakes are prone to break when driving them into the ground and the height of generally available wooden stakes positions the box mounted thereon to low for convenient access. It is also known to mount such boxes on larger wooden posts, such as 4 inch by 4 inch posts. However, installing such posts requires digging a hole and either setting the post in concrete or tamping the dirt around the post to secure it in place, requiring additional time and equipment.
There remains a need for an effective and easy to use apparatus for displaying of construction permits. There also remains a need for an improved system for mounting permit boxes at a construction site.